What Are The Top Vocational Courses To Pursue After B.Com?

If you have an innate interest in accounting, finance and money management, or banking and want to pursue professional courses after Bachelors of Commerce (B.Com), this article is for you. While professional postgraduate courses have become the ideal norm for any commerce student, there are also a variety of vocational courses available. Such vocational courses for commerce students typically have a short duration, ideally between a few weeks and 3 or 6 months, and are excellent for not only adding a new skill set but also potentially pursuing a long-term, high-paying career. Vocational courses after BCom will help to get the potential to pursue better career opportunities.

This article contains a list of the best vocational courses after graduation for all commerce students who want to hone their game and advance their careers.

Top Vocational Courses After B.Com

Here are some of the vocational courses for commerce students listed:

1. Chartered Accountant (CA) - ICAI- CA is one of the vocational professional courses after BCom If you are someone who has a stronghold over finance as a subject and wish to provide advice on how businesses or individuals can effectively manage their money while also diversifying it further, the Chartered Accountant certification is a top vocational course after B.Com you can pursue. Considering that it is one of the most respected as well as highly paid jobs in India for a long time. Conducted in 3 stages - CPT, IPCC and the final CA exam, it has two groups of CPT and final CA exam, post which you can get an articleship with a reputed or experienced CA and learn the tools of your trade.

2. ICMAI - ICMAI is one of the vocational courses after graduation in commerce. With over 85,000 professionals working as cost accountants as of 2019, it is one of the best vocational courses after graduation these days. The only few requirements for the course are that you’re able to clear the 3 levels of the CMA course, have a graduation degree in any discipline (except for Fine Arts) and can also be pursued as a vocational course after 12th, making it quite dynamic.

3. Certified Financial Analyst- If you are interested in investments and financial systems and want to pursue a career in financial analysis, the CFA exam is what you should pursue. You get to learn basic accounting standards, business practices, and economic policies over a period of 2 years. The starting salary for freshers is around Rs 4 lakh p.a. and goes up to Rs 15-20 lakhs p.a. for the experience.

4. Certificate In Financial Modeling by AIWMI (CIFM) - CIFM is one of the best courses after BCom. Aspirants willing to make a career in financial modelling can pursue this certification which is a globally oriented exam that concerns concepts such as financial modelling, equity, fixed incomes, investment banking, and financial advisory among others. If you are someone who is fascinated by the world of investment banking and wish to work with the likes of JP Morgan Chase, Credit Suisse, and Morgan Stanley, this professional course after B.Com is a step in the right direction.

5. Post Graduate Diploma in Banking (PGDB) - PGDB is one of the BCom vocational courses. The banking sector has long been the backbone of the financial structure of India. With demand for skilled banking professionals soaring every day, the sector is poised for massive growth in the time to come. The postgraduate vocational programme prepares first-level managers and they are trained to perform the day-to-day banking activities in the corporate/banking organization they work with. The ICICI Manipal Probationary Officers’ Programme (PO) is a residential certification in the field of banking that also provides internships and on-the-job, real-time training for a duration of 1 year.

• Eligibility: Graduation with at least 55% aggregate marks, the candidate should be 25 years of age as of 30th June of the admission year and invitation for selection subject to being shortlisted.

6. Certificate in Web Designing - Certificate in web designing is one of the vocational courses after BCom as it has become one of the highly sought-after online vocational courses for commerce students as more people are now looking to hone their design and development skills. These courses do not usually require any prior qualification or knowledge and can be pursued by anyone. However, if you have familiarity with web design fundamentals such as HTML, CSS & Javascript, it is an added bonus. They can be completed within a few weeks as well as a few months, as they are usually self-paced and flexible in terms of hours. For salary, web designers who are just starting out can expect around Rs 10,000 a month and above.

• Eligibility: Anyone with a good Internet connection and motivation to learn can enrol in these certification courses.

7. Diploma in Supply Chain Management - A short-term course for those who aspire to handle logistics and supply chain operations at retail and manufacturing firms, supply chain management professionals are required to ensure the smooth flow of a product or service from production to distribution. The ideal salary for supply chain professionals can range from Rs. 2,69,546 to Rs 1,846,466 per annum.

• Eligibility: An undergraduate degree in commerce, supply chain management or related fields.

8. Certified Public Accountant (CPA exam) - CPA is one of the vocational courses after BCom. Public Accountants offer financial planning, financial statements as well as regular internal audits of the company’s accounts and handle income tax returns which in turn, allows a business to thrive and expand. These are certified accounting professionals who have undergone the programme and pass 4 levels before they are licensed to take up professional work while using the designation of ‘CPA’.

• Eligibility: An undergraduate degree or equivalent alongside 150 hours of course curriculum studied apart from 1 or 2 years of work with an experienced CPA.

9. Diploma in Retail Management- Retail in India is a high-margin and well-paying sector. Aspirants who wish to handle retail operations for both brands, as well as FMCG organizations, can pursue this certification after their B.Com. Students learn how to analyze, collect and simplify data associated with retail operations over 1 year. A fresher in the retail management industry can easily start earning a total of Rs 2 lakh per annum, while those experienced can earn up to Rs 20 lakh per annum as salary.

• Eligibility: Aggregate 45% marks in 10+2

10. PG Diploma in Digital Marketing - Digital marketing is a new-age career option that would appeal to creative individuals who are interested in leveraging technology and software tools to drive measurable results for businesses and organisations. Pursuing digital marketing after your B.Com can be a good decision. Today, multiple e-learning platforms offer online vocational courses in digital marketing which cover digital marketing concepts like PPC, SEO, SEM, and social media advertising among others. The course duration can range from 3 months to even a year in some cases.

• Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree in any discipline

11. Certificate in Investment Banking - This six-month course is great for aspirants who want to pursue a career in the field of investment banking. Since it is a very highly paid job profile, many people are eager to get an introduction to the world of investment banking. As a career, investment banking involves professionals who impart financial advisory to companies for raising capital through equity selling and debt issuance. You shall learn a lot about IPOs, M&As, and corporate restructuring among a bunch of other things. Investment bankers, on average, can easily earn to the tune of Rs 9.6 lakhs per annum and even upwards in India.

• Eligibility: Candidates should have completed their 10+2 from recognized boards with a minimum of 45% aggregate marks.

12. Post Graduate Diploma in Actuarial Sciences - Thanks to a rapidly evolving economy that needs to manage wealth, managing the day-to-day economics of a business is a vital aspect that actuaries solve with their expertise. These professionals use arithmetic, complex calculations, and permutations to find out the economic risks and correct them, which ensures that a business can make the correct monetary decisions & increase its profit margins.

• Eligibility: Candidates who are seeking to make a career in Actuarial science must at least have a 10+2 certificate with Mathematics as one of their premier subjects. Furthermore, to pursue a PGDM in actuarial science; candidates are required to have an aggregate of 60% marks in undergraduate studies, post which admission is provided to selected candidates who appear in exams like CAT, CMAT, or MAT and a personal interview round with group discussion.

Conclusion

This list of top 12 vocational training programmes and short-term courses one can pursue after graduation. Since the job landscape in the country has become extremely competitive with multiple people vying for the same jobs, it is always a good idea to add a few skill sets that will help you stand out from the crowd and also increase your chances of a job multifold.